Inside The Cardinals

Nationals Sign Ex-Cardinals Outfielder After Six-Year Stint In St. Louis' Organization

St. Louis has begun to clear out their outfield

Scott Neville

Nationals Sign Ex-Cardinals Outfielder After Six-Year Stint In St. Louis' Organization
Nationals Sign Ex-Cardinals Outfielder After Six-Year Stint In St. Louis' Organization /
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St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has placed an emphasis on clearing up the position player logjam throughout the big-league roster this winter.

The Cardinals' biggest cluster resides in the outfield, where playing time will come at a premium. For better or worse, Mozeliak now has one less player to consider.

"Juan Yepez, first baseman, agrees to deal with (Washington Nationals)," the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Wednesday. "Minor league deal."

Yepez hit .240 with 28 extra-base hits including 14 home runs, 32 RBIs and a .705 OPS (97 OPS+) in 104 games for the Cardinals since making his big-league debut in 2022. 

The 25-year-old logged 52 games in corner outfield spots, 15 at first base and six at third base during his versatile tenure in St. Louis while hitting at a league-average mark.

Yepez would have been a worthy investment on a minor-league deal as injuries mount quickly and he is capable of filling holes in multiple areas of the roster. That said, the budding slugger likely saw a better chance for playing time with the rebuilding Nationals squad.

Assuming he can find his way onto Washington's big-league roster, he'll get to oppose his old friends in a three-game series starting on July 5. Yepez's return to Busch Stadium will come shortly after, on July 26.

More MLB: Cardinals Reportedly Have Interest In Pair Of International Stars To Bolster Bullpen

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox."  After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu